Manchester’s favourite ‘queer party for all’ Homobloc has this afternoon revealed the line-up for its hotly-anticipated 2022 day festival.
Returning to Depot Mayfield to ‘reunite the clans once again’, the all-day, all-night block party will take place this Autumn on Saturday 5 November – bringing some of its longstanding DJ favourites back to the decks once again, alongside a selection of exciting newcomers from 2pm to 4am.
Characterised by its eclectic mix of artists and performers, the by-now legendary Manchester party is gearing up to present what organisers have described as “one of the greatest coalitions of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Image: Jody Hartley
Image: Jody Hartley
Image: Jody Hartley
With a special Bollox presents Homosquat takeover at iconic Manchester music venue the Star & Garter, plus next level production and performances across Mayfield stagess Depot, Concourse and Archive, there’s no question this will be a sell-out event.
With headline sets from Róisín Murphy, Honey Dijon, The Blessed Madonna and Self Esteem, plus more from HAAi, Job Jobse, Horse Meat Disco, Saoirse, it’s set to be a packed-out party stretching across 14 hedonistic hours.
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Further sets will come from the likes of I.Jordan, Meme Gold, Little Gay Brother, Roi Perez, Tama Sumo, Absolute, Lakuti, DJ Holographic, Kiwi, Luke Solomon and Hannah Holland, not to mention the likes of Homoelectric resident favourites Gina Breeze, DJ Paulette, Jamie Bull and more.
Homobloc will also continue supporting its many charity partners and the work that they do to make the world a better place for the community, including the LGBT FOundation, The Proud Trust, George House Trust and Greater Manchester LGBTQ+ Community Fund.
Between them, these charities offer advice, support and information to the wider community, help to support people through youth groups, peer support and mentor programs, inspire people living with HIV to live healthy, confident lives and distribute small grants to LGBTQ+ and HIV grassroots good causes.
Carl Austin-Behan, former Lord Mayor of Manchester, and LGBTQ+ Advisor to the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Homobloc is such an important date for many people as it brings the community together all under one roof – from dancing and performing, to fundraising.
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Image: Jody Hartley
“It is amazing to see the team get behind these charity partners and continue to support their vital works for the LGBTQ+ community in Greater Manchester and beyond.”
Rod Connolly from Homobloc, added: “We are excited to announce a powerful Homobloc festival programme that unites the biggest International and homegrown LGBTQ+ artists, with a clear spotlight on the wonderfully diverse nightlife community that Manchester is World famous for.
“Following a challenging year for LGBTQ+ rights, the time is now for everyone to come together, step into the light and recharge the city’s vibrant queer energy once more.”
Tickets will go live for pre-sale this week on Thursday 21 July at 10am, with general sale available from Friday 22 July at the same time via the Homobloc website.
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The full line up, as it has been announced so far, can be seen below with more artists still to be revealed over the coming months.
Image: Jody Hartley
The full 2022 Homobloc line up:
Róisín Murphy | Honey Dijon | The Blessed Madonna | Self Esteem
HAAi | Job Jobse | Horse Meat Disco | Saoirse
Jennifer Cardini b2b Krystal Klear | Moxie b2b Shanti Celeste
I.Jordan | Little Gay Brother | Roi Perez | Tama Sumo
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Absolute | Lakuti | DJ Holographic | Kiwi | Luke Solomon
Amy Douglas presents Hard Feelings | Hannah Holland
Grace Sands | DJ Paulette | Joshua James | Jamie Bull
Mix-Stress | Black Betty | Kim Lana | Guy Williams | Lukas
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Bollox presents Homosquat: Queer House Party | Grove
Kath McDermott | Supernature | Club Zindigi
DJ Claud Cunningham (Black Angel) | The Niallist | Queer Latifah
Gut Level | What She Said | Philippa Jarman | Tokky Horror | Fat Camp
Eat Me | Fatty Acid | What Do I Tell My Friends | Limp
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Allsorts | Alexa Allana | Anna Phylactic | Ashraf | Banksie | Brandy X Mandella | Cece Sinclair Cheddar Gorgeous | Cleo Panther | Club Clam | Creature’s of Catharsis Archive Takeover
Cute Cartel | Cretina | Danni Spooner | Dak Attack | Dave Tester | Donna The Domme
Finn Love | Fuck Pigs | Ghetto Fabulous ft DJ KL | Hotline | House Of Apex | House of Blaque House of Kendoll | Jordan Roberts | Joshua Hubbard & Friends | Liv Wynter | Lucinda B.Hind
Meme Gold | Miss Chief | Miss Daubs | Mister Molly | Mx Romeo De La Cruz | Nadiva
Natasha Moonshine | Night People | NoirGayze | Prinx Silver | Sinz Dynasty | Soft Yoni
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Strutty Bitch | Sue Veneers | Taboo | The Cavalcade | YDSA | Yung Reenie
Feature image – Supplied
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Manchester’s historic Portico Library secures £6.4m funding grant towards its transformation
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s Portico Library has secured a whopping £6.4 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In case you missed it, ambitious plans to transform the historic Grade II-listed building on Mosely Street were already unveiled last October… but now, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced it is committing £6.4 million of funding towards the project, hoping that the building thrives as the UK’s most sustainable historic library for generations to come.
The grant is being described as a ‘major milestone’ in the approximately £12 million Portico Reunited project.
The Portico Reunited project will look to ‘reunite’ the historic building’s three floors for the first time in over a century, creating a fully-accessible and sustainable cultural library.
Founded all the way back in 1806, The Portico Library played a central role in Manchester’s rise as the world’s first modern city, and since then has been serving as a window into the past and a providing a place of inspiration for anyone who needs it.
The Portico Library has secured a £6.4m funding grant towards its transformation / Credit: Purcell Architecture (Supplied)
Crucially, plans will see a step-free entrance and lift installed to make the library accessible to all.
There’ll also be new exhibition and event spaces introduced as part of the scheme to explore the stories of Manchester’s communities and the city’s heritage. There will a Northern Bookshop, showcasing regional and emerging writers, and independent publishers, as well as a creative Portico Kitchen, which will celebrate the city’s food culture, writing, and history.
A place for school groups, families, and all people to explore Portico’s collection and experiment creatively also forms part of the plans.
Dr Thom Keep, Librarian and CEO of The Portico Library, called the funding grant a ‘landmark moment’ in the Portico’s ‘rich and complex history’, and a ‘huge achievement’ for its staff, trustees, volunteers, and partners.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we can reunite this extraordinary building and make room for people to discover, learn and create together,” he added.
“We have listened to thousands of people about what the Portico could become, and their ideas and experiences have helped shape these plans.
“Our ambition is a library that belongs to the whole city – a place to discover remarkable collections, question the stories we have inherited, and create new possibilities together.”
Manchester City Council has granted planning permission and listed building consent for the project, and the building is expected to close for construction in late spring 2028 and reopen once again in early March 2030.
Following reopening, the transformed library is expected to welcome around 95,000 visitors each year.
Featured Image – Purcell Architecture (Supplied)
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New data estimates that 7.3m Oasis fans are set to miss out on 2027 tour tickets
Emily Sergeant
New data has revealed that as many as 7.3 million Oasis fans could be set to miss out on tickets to the band’s 2027 tour.
In case you need bringing up to speed a little, it was announced earlier this week that, following the unprecedented success of the reunion tour, Oasis Live ’25, last year, including five nostalgia-drenched gigs at Manchester’s Heaton Park, Oasis would be hitting the road once again in 2027, and this time around, they’re going BIG.
We’re talking 11 nights at the Etihad Stadium and a return to the iconic grounds of Knebworth for four special shows there too, kind of ‘big’.
The iconic Manchester band will also be taking to a range of other world-famous stages across the globe, including five nights at Glasgow’s Celtic Park, and major cities like Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Las Vegas.
But despite the elevated number of dates the Gallaghers and co will be performing, some new data has unfortunately revealed that millions of fans may still not be lucky enough to snag a ticket.
The ticketing system for Oasis Live ’27 is not what it was for the last tour, nor will it be similar to many other tours of a similar scale in the past either, as this time, the band and their promotors are taking necessary measures to ensure ‘genuine fans’ get their hands on the tickets and that dynamic pricing doesn’t creep in.
Instead of going into detail on that now though, you can read our full guide on how to get tickets for the Manchester and Knebworth shows here.
Experts at online ticketing platform TicketSource have analysed the scale of demand for Oasis tickets by comparing the 10 million fans worldwide who queued for the initial release of 1.4 million tickets for their 2025 tour, with the newly announced 2027 tour dates and stadium capacities.
With an estimated 2.67 million tickets available across 38 dates and 11 locations between 21 May and 19 September 2027, Oasis could still face huge demand from fans hoping to see them live.
But research reveals the band would need to play 112 Wembley-sized shows to accommodate everyone who tried to get a ticket in 2025.
The 2027 tour would accommodate just 26.7% of those who tried to get tickets last time, meaning almost three-quarters (73%) of them could miss out, leaving a shortfall of more than 7.3 million fans.
Fingers crossed you’re among the lucky lot that secure tickets, though.
Featured Image – Joshua Halling (Press Image – Supplied)
Georgina Pellant -
20th July 2022 
